Herewith we cordially invite you to come to Maastricht, the Netherlands, from Wednesday June 15 till Saturday June 18, 2016, to participate in the European Congress of Perinatal Medicine (ECPM), organized by the European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM).

The ECPM is a biannual meeting where about 1500-2000 specialists in the field of perinatal medicine meet. With specialists we not only mean midwives, obstetricians and neonatologists but also those professionals who work in the very important adjacent fields such as child pathology, paediatric surgery, genetics, prenatal diagnosis and IVF. Also epidemiologists and health care workers will find this conference interesting.

The conference consists of a great offer of keynote lectures by speakers with international esteem during plenary andparallel sessions with enough time allotted for discussions. Participants are also invited to present their data in oral or poster presentations, based on the content of their abstracts. On the day before the congress many pre-congress courses with high educational value are organised.

During this conference, you will be updated on all important issues in the whole spectrum of the perinatal field, e.g. preconceptional counselling, genetics and prenatal diagnosis, high-risk pregnancies and deliveries, neonatal delivery management, problems of preterm and term infants, ethical issues and follow-up.

Issues of special interest in The Netherlands will be ‘fetal alcohol syndrome’, ‘midwifery’, ‘home deliveries’ and discussion on the comparative perinatal data from the countries of the European Union (Euro Peristat).

Last but not least, Maastricht is one of the most popular touristic cities of the Netherlands: an ancient city (going back to Roman times), with many shops, pubs, terraces, and restaurants (four with 1 or 2 Michelin stars). In June we expect great whether. Maastricht is located in the east-southern part, the ‘tail’, of The Netherlands in the middle of an important Euregion. It is the city where the treaty of Maastricht was signed in 1992, the start of the European Union. The ECPM will also organize social events such as a welcome by the mayor of Maastricht. Because Maastricht is a very compact city, it gives you great opportunities to meet your colleagues from all over Europe in this beautiful city (for a short video-impression about the city and the conference centre MECC, see “Visit Maastricht- Conference in the Netherlands” You Tube) and the congress website www.ecpm2016.eu.

On behalf of the EAPM council and the scientific and educational committees we welcome you,

Jan Nijhuis Luc Zimmermann

Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Professor in Paediatrics and Neonatology,